Nami, Adamu emergence as candidates stirs issues in Niger, Nasarawa Nasarawa – Daily Trust

Former executive chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, Mohammed Mamman Nami has confirmed his candidacy of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, in Niger State.

Former Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar Adamu, had on Saturday, September 5th, reentered the race for the governorship when he emerged the governorship candidate of Social Democratic Party, SDP at a primary election conducted in Lafia to fill the vacuum created by the resignation of  Musa Adamu Angba as candidate of the party.

Angba resigned voluntarily, creating room for Adamu. The party’s national leadership, including Presidential Candidate Prince Adewole Adebayo, witnessed the primary, signaling that SDP is investing serious resources in Nasarawa.

Adamu had contested for the  All Progressives Congress, APC, ticket and lost to Senator Ahmed Aliyu Wadada before defecting to the SDP.

Nami in  a short video released on Sunday, said he is prepared to contest against the incumbent, Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago for the Niger State Government House.

He said, “During our engagement with the zonal executive of the APC last month, we assured them that if they were not able to correct the wrong they’ve done to Nigerlites especially the people of Zone A on 18th May, 2026, surely one of us will contest against the current administration in the state and one of us will be sponsored to contest Senatorial seat of Zone A.

“That is not a reality and the position has further been strengthened or confirmed by the endorsement by the PDP in their meeting in Minna last week where Architect Abubakar Suleiman stepped down for me as gubernatorial candidate of the PDP to allow me contest against Mohammed Umaru Bago in 2027″, he said.

Our correspondent reports that the governorship candidate of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Niger State, Abubakar Suleiman had stepped down for Nami.

The former chairman of FIRS lost out in the Niger South All Progressives Congress Senatorial primaries to Sani Idris Kutigi , the purported preferred aspirant of Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago.

He and other aspirants including former Senator Mohammed Bima had rejected the outcome of the primaries.

The aggrieved aspirants reportedly filed a petition before the national working committee of the All Progressives Congress, challenging the outcome of Primaries.

The PDP gubernatorial candidate, Abubakar Suleiman confirmed to our Correspondent that he had stepped down for Mohammed Mamman Nami and his name would be replaced at the INEC.

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) on Thursday affirmed the nomination of former Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mohammed Mamman Nami, as its governorship candidate for the 2027 general elections.

The affirmation followed a resolution reached at the end of the party’s State Executive Committee meeting with local government party chairmen, held in Minna, the Niger State capital, for the supplementary affirmation of candidates for the 2027 general elections.

The State PDP Chairman, Aliyu Haliru Kaura, announced the affirmation after a motion was moved for the unanimous endorsement of Nami as the party’s governorship candidate.

Kaura described the decision as part of the party’s efforts to strengthen its chances in the next general elections in the state and ensure a smooth transition in its campaign ahead of the 2027 polls.

He said the new candidate would help consolidate the party’s grassroots support base and commence engagements with party members, stakeholders and the electorate ahead of the elections.

According to him, the replacement was made in line with the provisions of the Electoral Act, which allows political parties to replace candidates within the stipulated timeframe.

“The party’s candidate willingly withdrew, and we have affirmed Nami. We know his capacity and what he can do for Nigerlites. That is why we replaced our earlier gubernatorial candidate with him,” he stated.

Alhaji Idris Usman Makanta, the gubernatorial candidate of the NDC in a statement following the emergence of Nami as PDP candidate said opposition parties are ready to work together.

“Political strength is not measured only by the size of a crowd, the number of political appointees or the resources available to an incumbent. It is measured by the depth of connection with the people and the credibility of the message,” he said.

 

Controversy over Adamu’s ticket

A legal practitioner, Obere A. Kana however faulted the Social Democratic Party, SDP, gubernatorial primary election held in Nasarawa State on 5th September, saying it violates provisions of the Electoral Act, 2026 and is therefore null and void.

In a statement issued from Keffi, Kana, who is also an associate of Senator Ahmed Aliyu Wadada, the gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, argued that the party breached Sections 33 and 82(1) of the Electoral Act in the conduct of the primary.

He said the SDP had earlier submitted the name of Musa Adamu Angba to INEC as its gubernatorial candidate in line with Section 29(1) of the Act. INEC subsequently published Angba’s particulars on 29th August, 2026, in compliance with Section 29(3).

However, Kana noted that Angba had withdrawn his candidature via an affidavit sworn to before the Federal High Court, Abuja, on 10th June, 2026, in favor of Mohammed Abubakar Adamu.

Citing Section 33 of the Electoral Act, he said a party whose candidate withdraws “SHALL, within 14 days of the occurrence of the event, hold another primary election to produce and submit a new candidate.”

He said with 25 days between the withdrawal on 10th June and the primary on 5th September, the SDP violated the 14-day statutory window, rendering the exercise “null and void ab initio.”

A chieftain of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, in Nasarawa State, Joseph Kaura, however dismissed allegations that the emergence of former Inspector-General of Police, IGP Mohammed Abubakar Adamu, as the party’s governorship candidate for the 2027 election is in breach of the Electoral Act.

Reacting, the SDP stakeholder described the allegation as a distraction and questioned the basis for Kana’s conclusion.

“Is Obere just realizing that there is an Electoral Act, from the very day he saw an affidavit deposed by Mr. Musa Adamu Angba? Is he saying he knows the law better than the INEC Chairman who is a Professor of Law and presides over the Commission? Since when did Obere-Kana become the spokesman of INEC or the Legal Adviser to INEC to interpret what is a breach and what is not?” the statement queried.

He insisted that due process was followed in the nomination exercise, noting that a letter was duly written to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, by the National Secretariat of the SDP. He added that the Nasarawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner was physically present at the exercise alongside two other officials from the National Headquarters of INEC who monitored the process.